Whisper On The Wind
by Torynado
Summary: The Wizard of Castanet wakes up one early morning to find his body in pain and his golden eye bleeding. Soon after Harmonica Town is blanketed in a harsh eternal winter in the middle of summer. Continually haunted by nightmares and memories that cause him pain, but fade away as quickly as they came, Wizard embarks on a journey to find out the truth!
1. Chapter 1

Whisper on the Wind Chapter 1

Blood, tears, and sweat. Sounds like any normal hard day at work. This is how the Wizard of Harmonica town woke up one early morning in the wee hours of dawn. However, it wasn't after a hard days work, but after a tiresome dream or nightmare that he couldn't remember despite how hard he tried. In fact the harder he tried the more blood trickled from from his right golden eye, the more his head pounded with intense pain, the more tears his other eye cried, and the more his chest hurt with pain and lack of breath.

Calculating it would only be more detrimental to his health if he continued to try and remember he brushed off the dream and pulled his covers off himself. Wishing not to stain his sheets he quickly stood up and attempted to walk towards his sink, but about halfway there he fell over from exhaustion and pain. He curled up into himself grabbing his shoulders and shook violently.

"What is... what is wrong with me," he said meekly out loud to the darkened room around him, feeling a sense of dread that he couldn't shake off from his void of dreams. Could staying up late all this time and forcing himself to be up a reasonable hour in the morning really begin to wear him down? He began to suspect the misfortunes for his bad health this morning to be due to his own habits, but he felt a sweeping emotion over take him that he couldn't quite understand. Physically he felt like someone filled his lungs with water and he couldn't breath. He continued to shake and only after listening to himself did he realize he was sobbing uncontrollably, and that he in fact hadn't stopped since he woke up. Letting himself go unable to control himself , he cried alone in his quiet home for several minutes.  
Finally as if his body finally resigned to wants, he felt a fog begin lifting from his brain and he finally calmed himself down.

Slowly he lifted himself up off the wood floor, a small pool of dark cool blood lay on the floor below him. He walked towards his sink again, this time making sure to hold onto things as he did. His body felt very weak and sore, causing him to wobble as he walked. Finally reaching the sink he pulled out a small metal bucket from a cabinet and put it underneath the faucet. Waiting for it to fill he waved his hand which shimmered with a dim light and a moment later the lights inside his not quite so humble abode turned on. The light caused a sharp pain in his head that would subside minutes later into a dull all day ache. Meanwhile he took his filled bucket of water and cleaned the blood off the floor.

That's all his reputation would need... The fortune teller who called himself a wizard.. with a blood stain on his floor. He shook his head as he thought to himself the consequences that would occur.

Finishing he decided to himself to get back to work. There were plenty of logs to work on and worrying about unexplainable dreams and the reasons behind his health would only waste time. Going forward he promised himself to try and sleep more and take better care of himself. Getting back to his kitchen area he searched his cabinets for coffee. Oddly enough it took him a moment to find some... it wasn't in the usual spot, his cups were haphazardly strewn in the cupboard... there was dust everywhere. Not that he minded dust but he felt he was much cleaner than this and definitely more organized. The only thing stopping him from investigating further was the continuous headache.

After what felt like a lifetime his coffee finally finished brewing and eagerly he filled himself a cup. He gently blew on it, his breath ice cold quickly cooling the piping hot liquid to drinkable temperature, he gulped down the first half of his cup and finally for the first time this morning felt a sense of comfort and relief. He thought about how he would spend the rest of the day, peering into the next few hours of his day. Seeing the immediate future was one of his developed abilities.. though he mostly used it to prepare himself for the day ahead anymore and for the townsfolks' requests. Though he might occasionally feel the townsfolk to be a nuisance to his studies, he admitted to himself that it was much better then constantly being alone.

As he concentrated he sensed no one would visit him today, but felt that he would not be in his home all day. Why would he go anywhere, he thought to himself... maybe to get more food and supplies as he running very low... Another odd thing.. .since he never had done so before and kept on top of being orderly and prepared... He might see the doctor he thought afterward.. maybe there was something wrong that he couldn't find the explanation for... That thought above all things unsettled him just a little, but like all things this morning, it passed.

Sighing he finished his first cup of coffee, and poured a second one. This time he would let it cool naturally. Walking back across the room he settled himself at his desk, slowly enjoying his second cup of coffee. He began to feel a little more normal again, the emotions from this morning finally fading, and his strength, mostly due to caffeine, returning. Satisfied he felt ready to work.

Except... when he opened his desk drawer.. Everything... was missing... His bored face turned towards the floor as he realized this day... Was not going to go his way. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed and decided to get up and change. Again he found his drawers with clothes stuffed into them, half folded, and completely unorganized. Pulling things out he noticed a small black cloak with lacing around the edges... He groaned, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"...Princess...," he said out loud with indignation. He gripped his dresser and let his head rest on it. This explains... everything. The Witch... was the reason... behind everything. Most likely a prank that went a little to far.. that messed up his house, and himself. Probably got blasted in his sleep and she took off with his things as a joke. Though a bit malicious even for her, he wouldn't put it past her.. .Now he knew why he would be leaving the house. 


	2. Chapter 2

Whisper on the Wind Chapter 2  
Chapter 2

For several moments Wizard found himself staring at the little house amidst the swamp, deep in Fugue Forest. To anyone else it would look like he was acting like a stalker, but in reality, he was hesitating. If it wasn't for his books he wouldn't have come at all. It's not to say he thought so badly of the Witch, she was a good person at heart, but he could only really put up with her in the smallest of doses, and even then it was a bit much for him.

Taking a deep breath and he let out a gentle, slow sigh before raising his hand to knock on the door. Three slow taps sounded through out this small corner of the forest. If it wasn't for the damp atmosphere around him, he would've thought he could hear his knocks echo.

After some time he realized his knocks must have fell on deaf ears and forgoing politeness he invited himself into her house.

"Hello…anyone here," his monotone voice rang out into a dark lit room. At first it seemed she wasn't home and if it wasn't for his books and logs he would've just left realizing this. However, what needed to be done, had to get done though if was he to hope getting back to work anytime soon. Searching around, he tried finding a light switch or a lamp to turn on when a feeling of dread washed over him as something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. His body tensed up but his exterior expression remained the same. Something in the room made him feel odd. Not threatened, but just out of place, as if he should not be there. Concentrating he tried to focus his eyes in the dark as something scuffled about from one side of the room to the other. It moved quickly and quietly.

"Who's there," he said into the darkness, lowering his head down but keeping his eyes focused ahead of him. The entity in the dark stopped moving instantly. His ears caught a small whimper from the across.

"G-go… h-home," said a small childlike voice. Wizard tried to turn his ear towards the voice without completely averting his eyes form the direction it came from. The voice caught him off guard as it was not what he was expecting, considering how the whole situation made him involuntarily feel.

"Say that… one more time," he replied. Before he was able to get a response there was blinding flash of light and Wizard instantaneously found himself on his back, his body trembling with pain all over.

"Go on Evelyn! Run away! I'll find you," shouted a familiar voice. As Wizard sat up trying to orient himself to his surroundings, he caught the silhouette of a small child with long hair running out of the house, against the light from outside in the doorway. Something about the shape seemed painfully familiar and he found himself turning and trying to reach out to it.

"Wait," he began to say out loud, almost desperately, but all that he remembered after that was another large flash of light and a painful blow to his head.

* * *

Wizard opened his eyes to the familiar pale off white color of his ceiling, surrounded by his bed linens. Turning his head he peered out his window and saw the sun going down.

"Are you going to tell me whats going on," he asked the other occupant that was in his house.

A woman with long white, flared out hair, wearing a corset, purple and white striped bloomer shorts and mini steeple hat paced back forth in Wizard's house picking up books from a box and placing them in no discernible order on bookshelves and his desk.

"No! I'm NOT going to give you an explanation, why? Because you don't deserve one. Like, are you serious, you almost screwed everything up," she instantly began complaining as she continued putting books away.

"Could you just leave them there… The books, I'll put them away," he said turning his head. Again he felt his whole body in pain. The woman, known as Witch Princess, or just Witch for short, stopped and turned on her heels to face Wizard, who was lying in his bed. She heaved a loud sigh and crossed her arms, her face writhed with irritation.

"Why?! Why did I have to be responsible for… Augh! Forget it," she said as she threw up her arms. She stomped over to his desk and sat down. Wishing to look at her more clearly, Wizard slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position. As he opened his mouth to begin speaking, a memory flashed through his head. It was the silhouette from Witch's house earlier, but this time it was clearer. Right before the flash of light and blow to his head, he remembered a little girl, with long sandy blonde hair and green eyes.

He gripped at his golden eye as a sharp pain seemed to shoot through it , all the way to the back of his head. The pain was so intense and quick he let out a cry. Witch quickly got up and moved beside him. Any irritation she had, subsided instantly. Wizard gripped at his chest as it began getting harder to breath.

"Whats wrong," Witch asked.

I…don't know," he said between gasping,"I saw… a girl.. at your house." He turned towards to look at Witch's face.

"You didn't do this… did you?" he asked her. Witch didn't have to ask to what he was referring to. She looked down with an expression of guilt.

"No I didn't," she replied to him. Her voice spoke the truth, but he could tell that she knew more.

"Let me get you something for your pain," she said before he got the chance to say anything else. Witch went to a cabinet in his kitchen area, pulling out a mug, and finding some herbal tea. While she began to boil some water she readied a cool damp towel.

Wizard couldn't help but notice that she knew his house all to well for someone who practically never visited. She made her way back to him with the damp towel.

"Lay back down," she said to him. He did as he was told, since it was easier then arguing or prying for more information at the moment. He would wait until he felt better. She laid the towel on his head and moved his hand away from his eye, a faint trickle of blood could be seen flowing down from it like a tear. She sighed and shook her head.

"You're a mess, but doing much better than I thought you would," she said out loud to him. She grabbed some gauze out of bag she had tied to her and used it clean off his face.

"I should see Dr Jin," Wizard said. Witch let out a derisive huff of air through her lips.

"What's a human doctor going to help _you _with," she said to him. He turned away and stared at the wall space below his window next to his bed.

"Perhaps… you're right," he said. He heard the woman get up as the teapot began to shrill. Wizard appeared to be staring at the wall but his gaze was elsewhere. It was back at Witch's house, where he saw the child running out. The image of the girl was blurry, unclear and seemed to become even more so the harder he thought about it. He didn't try much harder to remember, as his head and eye hurt even more, similarly to this morning when he woke up.

"Sit back up and drink this. I know tea isn't you're favorite but this should help with the pain. It's not going to taste very good though," the Witch said behind him.

Wizard slowly sat himself up and accepted the mug, one he normally used for coffee. His nostrils were filled with a faint repugnant smell which made him turn his head away slightly.

"Go on now, don't be difficult," Witch protested. His eyes traveled to look up at her demanding face and he sighed. He drank the bitter tasting, hot liquid as quickly as he could. His right hand reached up and covered his mouth as he instantly felt nauseous, while the other held the mug out to the witch next to him.

"It'll help I promise," she said as she took the cup away. He believed her whether he drank it not as he didn't doubt her ability. He laid himself back down as felt the affects of the tea take over. Of course it wasn't a normal type of tea, more like a potion brewed like a tea. The pain in his head was the first to wane, followed by the pain in his eye, and then the rest of his body. After he was finally relaxed he turned his head to look at Witch who had begun entertaining herself by looking at various things in his house.

"Be careful what you touch," he said meekly. She looked at him with a mild disdain but abided anyways.

"Your house is boring," she said spitefully and then sat herself on the floor next to his stand that housed his crystal scrying ball.

"You don't have to stay," he pointed out to her. Again she looked down with an expression of guilt.

"No I have to stay, at least tonight I do. I promised," she said, the last part more to herself.

"Promised…," he said confused," To me you didn't… Who? Who did you promise?" Witch shook her head looking slightly irritated.

"I can't tell you that, and I'm not going to tell you," she said firmly. Wizard turned his head away to stare back at the wall.

"Do what you wish," he replied. If it wasn't for the relaxing effects of the brew he would have told her to leave.

Plus she knew something he didn't, that he was sure he was going to have to find out, he thought to himself. It was best not to test her and let things go the way they should, for now.


End file.
